Seven years on since instigating the launch of a conservation charity, Birdies 4 Rhinos, Justin Walters remains as passionate as ever in his mission to unite golfers behind the cause.
Alongside four-time DP World Tour winner Dean Burmester, Walters co-founded the fundraising initiative in 2017 which sees participating players donate money for every birdie they make throughout the season.
The idea was born out of Waters’ fear that his children would grow up not seeing a rhinoceros, with South Africa home to most of the world’s species.
With awareness of the plight of the rhino amid illegal poaching continuing to grow, Walters is pleased by the support he has received from within the game to raise funds for conservation projects to protect threatened wildlife.
Among a host of DP World Tour members to offer their support since the launch of Birdies 4 Rhinos are Tommy Fleetwood, Ryan Fox and Ewen Ferguson.
The more players we have and the more interest from the public we have, then the more money and awareness we can raise. It’s like a snowball effect
Asked about the progress of the initiative, Walters told the DP World Tour: “At the beginning of last year, Tommy Fleetwood came on board. That was a big moment for us. He's very passionate about wildlife.
“Now, it's starting to get to a point where people [players] are starting to ask questions, showing some interest.
“When you're around a while, you show a little bit of staying power, a little bit of credibility, people don’t view you as a flash in the pan.
“A lot of the players are now starting to see and talk about it. The more players we have and the more interest from the public we have, then the more money and awareness we can raise. It’s like a snowball effect.
"We’ve also brought on one person that's helped to revamp the whole website for merchandise and how it gets shipped and procured, and that's been huge.
"We've brought on another person to help count all the birdies because it's actually quite a time consuming affair every month to build the leaderboards, counting the cards of the 25 odd players."
Walters, 43, who is this week playing at the SDC Championship on home soil, admits his desire is to have player representation from across the world.
“Obviously, the more players you have, the more money you know you you're able to raise, but I think it would be nice to get a broad base from all over the world, so you get someone representing all corners and I think that's really important.”
He added: “Players go through different transitions in their career. They might not play as much, they might lose their card and they might not want to donate money or be a part of the programme.
“So as someone drops out, it's nice to have someone join in, so it's always important to keep people that are interested. But it’s not something that's ever really forced on anyone or, you know, we don't go shopping for players."
With the backing of more than 20 players from several countries, the donations are used to fund projects conducted by the Connected Conservation Foundation, who equip field teams with cutting-edge technology and tools to safeguard species and protect large landscapes where wildlife can roam free.
While a Birdies4Rhinos leaderboard tracks the progress of how players are doing on the course, online purchases of merchandise and donations from the public are also an important source of the funds raised for projects across Africa.
Walters, who lost his full DP World Tour status at the end of last season, is determined to ensure the continued progress of the cause close to his heart.
"Now that I'm not playing as many events I could, probably, spend a little more time, laying out a future on where I'd like to see things progress and where we need to improve and get better," he said. That'll be important."
